Bittersweet Revenge
by MysteryMoonbeam
Summary: Set in the anime. Erika is King Dedede's newest servant. She works hard to please him, but Escargoon is always getting her into trouble. When Erika plans revenge against him and orders a monster from NME, it goes out of control and escapes! Can Erika, Kirby, Tiff and the others recapture her monster before it starts causing havoc?
1. Meet Erika

**As I said in the summary, this fanfic is set in the anime Kirby: Right Back At Ya/Kirby of the Stars/Hoshi no Kaabii. I will be using the characters' English names and an OC called Erika. Sorry to those who prefer the Japanese names and/or don't like OCs. ^^;**  
**Fot those who are wondering, there are no pairings in this fanfic.**  
**Rated T for violence and a bit of swearing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kirby; Nintendo owns Kirby.**

**Without further yapping, here is my fanfic. Enjoy! ^.^**

CHAPTER 1: Meet Erika

"Hey! You! Give my scarf back!" I charged up to the little pink blob that had my favourite blue scarf wrapped around him. I snatched it back and wound it around my neck, glaring at the pink beach ball. I knew who he was. He was Kirby, the annoying little pest that King Dedede is always trying to get rid of.

"Poyo poyo?" Kirby gave me a confused look. I glared back.

"I've been looking for this everywhere, since the wind blew it away this morning. You didn't steal it did you?"

Kirby shook his head, looking shocked. He had to be lying. This wasn't the first time my scarf had went missing. I didn't look the same without my blue scarf, it completed my colourful outfit. I wear a brown t-shirt, a pink skirt and a green jacket. I also wore white boots with gold buttons and black straps. My hair is shoulder length and orange, with two sticking up bits at the top. My eyes were like amethysts, sparkly and purple. There was no colour I didn't have.

"There he is!"

"Kirby!"

A girl with a ponytail and a scruffy looking boy suddenly emerged from nowhere.

"We've been looking all over for you, Kirby," said the girl, patting Pinky on the head.

"This stranger's not giving you any trouble, is she, Kirby?" said the boy, glaring at me fiercely.

"Hey, don't look at me like that!" I snapped. "Kirby stole my scarf!"

"He would never do that!" said the girl. Kirby gave a 'poyo' of agreement.

"Yeah, go pick on someone your own size!" yelled the boy.

Both of Kirby's friends were slightly shorter than me. I sighed. They weren't an option.

"Come on, Kirby," said the girl, glaring at me.

"Hey, wait." I sighed again. I didn't want them to remember me as someone rude and mean, so I decided to apologise. "I'm sorry for accusing Kirby of stealing."

There was a silence. The girl and boy stared at me, deciding whether to forgive me or not. Kirby decided for them, cheering 'poyo' and running over to meet me properly.

"Hi there. You're a cute little guy, aren't you?" I cooed. How could the king want to get rid of someone so adorable?

Kirby flailed his tiny hands happily. "Poyo poyo!"

I looked up. Kirby's friends were standing beside me now.

"Kirby seems to like you," said the girl. "By the way, my name's Tiff."

"I'm her brother, Tuff."

Oh, her brother. I was about to ask if they were dating.

"Are you new in Cappy Town?" asked Tiff. "I've never seen you around here before."

"Yeah, I'm new. I'm Erika."

"Where do you live, Erika?"

I pointed to King Dedede's castle on the cliff. "I live in the castle up there."

"Us too!" said Tuff. "Do your parents work for King Dedede?"

"No, I don't live with my parents."

"Really? You don't look much older than us."

I told them my age. As I thought, it turned out I'm a couple of years older than Tiff.

"So why do you live in the castle?" asked Tuff as the four of us began to head back to the castle together.

"I work for His Majesty, King Dedede," I explained proudly.

Tuff burst out laughing. "You work for King Dedede? Boy, I feel sorry for you."

"And why's that?" I demanded.

"It must be a difficult job," said Tiff.

"Oh, it is."

"Does Dedede ever hit you?"

"Of course not," I lied. "His Majesty would never do that to me. I'm his favourite servant."

That last part is, of course, true. Well, King Dedede's never actually SAID that, but I bet he thinks it all the time. So there. Take that, Escargoon.

Escargoon does all he can to get me into trouble with the king. He's just jealous. He was at it again when I got back to the castle. It had started pouring rain and had become very cold, so I decided to make King Dedede some hot chocolate. When I took it to him in his throne room, Escargoon stuck out his tail and I tripped, splattering burning hot chocolate all over the king. As he slowly turned his head and glared at me, there was only one thing going through my head. I won't tell you what, but it began with 'Oh' and ended in 'Crap'.

"Erika! What'd you do that for?" His Majesty demanded.

"I-It wasn't my fault, S-Sire!" I stammered, rising to my feet. "Escargoon t-tripped me!"

"What?" Escargoon pretended to be shocked. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing! It's not my fault you're clumsy!" He turned to King Dedede. "I'll fetch you a towel, Sire."

I heard him snickering as he walked away. I hated him so much when he did things like this.

"This oughta teach you to be more careful!" the king bellowed. I looked up just in time to see Dedede's mallet fly into my face, sending me crashing to the ground. Tears sprang to my eyes. Picking myself up, I dashed out of the room as fast as I could. I didn't want King Dedede to see me cry.

Unfortunately, someone else did.

"Oh boo hoo, did the king yell at you?" Escargoon teased. He laughed. "You little crybaby!"

I responded by sticking my middle finger up at him and making a run for it. I ran all the way to my room and slammed the door. This was usually the point where I screamed in frustration and burst into tears and pounded my pillow pretending it was Escargoon. I didn't do any of these things this time. Instead, I thought hard. This had gone on long enough. If I was ever going to get back at that creep, I needed to make a plan. A plan for revenge!


	2. Cream Puff

CHAPTER 2: Cream Puff

I've got it! Why didn't I think of it before?

I remembered a time when King Dedede had overheard a conversation between two Cappies. I wasn't there, but the king thought it was me he heard saying that he was a mean old grouch. As much as I agree with that statement, it wasn't me who said it. I tried to explain but he wouldn't listen. So guess what. I got another whack with the mallet.

Anyway, here's my plan. I fake a conversation between me and Escargoon where the king is sure to hear. This will require me to do an accurate impression of the sneaky snail. As they say, easier said than done. I could already do a good impression of Kirby, so I didn't think it would take long to learn Escargoon. I stood in front of my mirror, put on a grouchy face and began.

"What do you brats think you're doing?" I had heard him yelling this at Tiff and Tuff the other day, but I didn't sound anything like him. I cleared my throat and tried again. "This isn't a playground, you know!" Yes, I was getting better. I continued practicing for a few hours(I had nothing better to do) until at long last, I could do it.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!"

I sounded almost exactly like Escargoon. I decided to say something completely random that he would never say, just for fun.

"I love sparkly rainbow unicorns!"

It sounded so strange I couldn't help but laugh. I couldn't wait to put my plan into action.

-x-

After dinner, King Dedede went to watch television in his throne room. Escargoon went out to Cappy Town. Now was my chance!

I crept to the door of the throne room, where I heard the television blaring. I would have to speak loudly.

"Hi, Escargoon!" I said in my own voice. Then, in Escargoon's voice, I said: "Good evening, Erika."

Back to my voice. "Dinner was delicious tonight, wasn't it?"

I tried not to giggle as I said Escargoon's next part. "His Majesty ate so much. It's no wonder he's got such a big stomach."

I heard the television become quieter. Yes! The king was listening!

"Escargoon! How could you say such a thing about King Dedede!"

"But it's true. I think the reason he has to waddle isn't just because he's a penguin."

I heard footsteps from inside the throne room, stomping closer and closer. Eek! The king was coming! I made a dash for it, disappearing around a corner just as the throne room door opened. That was close.

"Escargoon!" King Dedede yelled. He sounded FURIOUS. I wandered innocently back around the corner and approached the king, who was carrying his mallet.

"Is something wrong, Sire?"

"You know what's wrong! I heard you talking to Escargoon just now!"

"Oh, yes. He ran away when he heard you coming. I tried to catch him but he was too fast." (Yeah, right.) "He said such horrible, untrue things about you, Your Highness."

"Which way did he go?"

"He headed for Cappy Town."

King Dedede raced away. I burst out laughing as soon as he was out of earshot. That was priceless!

-x-

Dedede had returned with a smug expression, so I knew he had found Escargoon. I waited outside the castle for the snail to show his ugly face. He didn't come back until very late, when everyone in the castle had gone to bed, even the king. Escargoon looked pretty miserable.

"Oh boo hoo, did the king yell at you?" I teased, mimicking what he had said to me yesterday.

He perked up instantly upon spotting me. "I haven't seen His Majesty since dinner." I frowned. He laughed. Then he went back inside the castle looking as smug as the king did.

That little liar! I should have rushed out to find him in Cappy Town as soon as the king returned. Then I would have caught him just after it happened, like he found me yesterday. It wasn't fair! How was I going to come up with another revenge plan now?

I sat down on the grass and thought hard. King Dedede always wants revenge on Kirby. What does he do?

Easy. He orders a monster.

That's it! I'll order a monster.

I knew it was stricly forbidden to enter the king's throne room without permission but I didn't care. I rushed inside, pressed a button on the arm of his throne and a giant screen emerged from the wall. The NME salesman flashed up on the screen.

"I wanna get a monster!" I yelled, stamping my foot.

"You must be Erika," said the salesman. "You look a bit young to be handling monsters. Come back with King Dedede or Escargoon and then we can talk." He went to turn the screen off.

"No, wait! I'm not too young!" I insisted. "And I can't get the king or Escargoon either."

"Of course, I expect they'll be fast asleep. You'd better wait 'till morning."

"That's not what I meant." I thought as hard as I could to come up with a good excuse. "I want to surprise them with a big strong monster. Strong enough to get rid of Es- er, Kirby. Something cute but deadly. I don't want to be seen with something too scary."

"You're in luck, Erika. A monster called Cream Puff arrived just this morning. It's not big and it's not scary, but its powerful bite can be lethal."

"Great! Send it!" I looked at the buttons on Dedede's throne. "Er, which one brings up the monster downloading thingy?"

"Left arm, bottom right button."

"Thanks."

I pressed the button and the gigantic monster delivery system rose from the middle of the room. After some sparks, smoke, and blinding light, a small fluffy ball with cute little eyes appeared. It wasn't much bigger than my head.

"What does it do?" I asked.

"Whatever you tell it to do," said the salesman. "Cream Puff is the most loyal and obedient monster you could wish for, providing you're an experienced monster handler."

"Experienced? Oh, how hard could it be?" I grinned. "Cream Puff, do a barrel roll!"

Cream Puff did a barrel roll.

"See what I mean?" said the salesman.

"Yeah, this is perfect! Thanks!" I pressed another button on the king's throne, switching the screen off and returning everything to normal. I looked at Cream Puff.

"Bite my scarf," I ordered, holding out one of the ends of my scarf to Cream Puff. "I wanna see just how bad your bite is.

Cream Puff bared its fangs and perforated my scarf with a snap of its jaw. I gasped. I didn't expect its bite to be THAT bad. I gave my little monster a pat on the h ead, grinning again.

Boy, are you going to get it, Escargoon! Mark my words, I WILL have my revenge!


	3. Erika's Revenge

**Warning: This chapter contains blood!**

CHAPTER 3: Erika's Revenge

I couldn't sleep at all that night, so I dragged Cream Puff with me to wait outside the door of Escargoon's bedroom. At around 6am, Meta Knight found me half asleep, slouched against the door.

"Erika?"

"Hey, Meta Knight."

"Why are you sleeping here?"

"I'm not sleeping." I rubbed my tired eyes.

"Would you like me to escort you back to your room?"

"No way, I'm staying here." I paused. "But thanks anyway."

Meta Knight wandered off again. I sighed.

"Wonder when that sleepy snail's gonna wake up," I said to Cream Puff. Then it did something surprising.

"Master."

"Huh? Did you just talk?"

Cream Puff floated around me happily. "Master." Its voice was squeaky and irritating but I tried not to mind. Instead, I smiled and held out my hand, where Cream Puff then perched. Its fur was so warm and fluffy that I couldn't help stroking it. Cream Puff made a sort of purring noise, like a cat.

"You're so cute," I whispered. "It's hard to believe you're a deadly monster."

Cream Puff made a yawning sound. Its eyes were beginning to close.

"Are you tired, little Cream Puff?" I took off my scarf and made a little nest on the floor. "There you go."

Cream Puff bounced happily into its scarf bed and fell asleep almost straight away. Watching it sleep made me feel sorta sleepy too. I lay down next to my little monster. Before I knew it, I had fallen fast asleep...

-x-

I awoke with a start when somebody kicked me. I let out a yelp and opened my eyes. Escargoon was glaring down at me.

"Outta my way! I almost tripped!" he complained, and kicked me again, this time on purpose.

"Hey, quit kicking me!" I leapt to my feet. "I've been waiting for you. Hey, don't walk away! I wanna talk to you!" I chased after him, closely followed by Cream Puff.

"Fine, but make it quick."

"I want to talk to you in the courtyard."

"I don't have time to be following you all over the castle!"

"Please? It's important."

Escargoon sighed, clearly irritated. "Fine, if it'll shut you up."

So the three of us headed for the castle courtyard. Cream Puff kept out of sight by hiding in my pocket. It made a very noticable bulge, but luckily Escargoon didn't see.

Before long, we had arrived in the courtyard.

"Alright, we're here. Now what do you want?" the impatient snail demanded. "If you're asking me on a date then forget it, you little brat."

Ew, what gave him THAT idea? I ignored his disturbing remark and gave an evil cackle, pulling my monster out of my pocket.

"Escargoon, prepare to meet your doom!" I grinned. "I present to you, Cream Puff!"

Cream floated towards Escargoon. He took one look at the monster's small size and cute appearance and burst out laughing.

"You call that a monster? I've seen scarier things in a teddy bear shop!"

"Look in the mirror if you want a real fright," I growled. "Cream Puff! Bite him!"

Cream Puff nipped Escargoon's finger. He yelped.

"Keep your oversized marshmallow under control, would you?"

I giggled cruelly. "That was just the beginning, slug features! Cream Puff, bite him harder!"

Cream Puff obeyed. It bit again, but not just a finger this time. Cream Puff tried to bite off Escargoon's hand. He wailed and flailed, trying to shake his hand free of the monster, but this only made Cream Puff sink its teeth deeper. Blood began to run down his arm.

"Get it off me!" Escargoon screamed. "Erika! Get it off me!"

"Alright, Cream Puff! Let go!"

Cream Puff stayed firmly attached.

"Cream Puff! I said let go!"

This time, my monster did as it was told.

"Master."

"Good Cream Puff," I praised. "Now, crack his shell!"

"WHAT?" My pathetic rival made a dash for it but Cream Puff rammed itself into his shell, knocking him face down on the ground. The shell didn't crack of course; Cream Puff was too small to do that. But now I had Escargoon right where I wanted him; lying on the cold hard ground, whimpering. Words cannot desribe how powerful I felt. As he watched me slowly advance towards him I could see the fear in his pleading eyes.

I wasn't finished yet.

"One last attack, Cream Puff. Bash his head on the ground."

Cream Puff launched itself at Escargoon's head, slamming it into the stone ground. Then Cream Puff did it again. Then again. Escargoon was breathing heavily and looked dizzy by this time. I ordered Cream Puff to stop, but it wouldn't listen.

"C-Cream Puff! That'll do! Stop now!" I commanded. Cream Puff glanced at me, then went back to beating Escargoon to a pulp. He made the terrible mistake of rolling onto his side. Cream Puff took this opportunity and flew at the screeching snail, sinking its teeth into his chest. Escargoon exploded with blood that splattered in all directions. I screamed, begging Cream Puff to stop.

Cream Puff took no notice and continued to eat away. I felt sick. Grabbing the ruthless monster, I attempted to pull it away from its poor victim, who was sobbing and whimpering and dripping with crimson blood.

And then all of a sudden, I became its next meal.

Cream Puff snarled and wriggled out of my grasp, flew around to the back of me and took a bite out of my head. It hurt like hell. I screamed again and collapsed face down on the ground. Cream Puff gave me one last sharp bite in my back before floating over the castle wall, heading straight for Cappy Town. Goodness knows what kind of havoc it had in mind.

"Cream... Puff..." I gasped with the last of my strength. Cream Puff didn't hear me. It was already gone. I looked at Escargoon. He was lying on his front again. His eyes were closed and he looked dead. I hoped like anything that he was alright. I only wanted revenge. I didn't want to KILL him.

Dead or unconscious, I was about to join him. I felt my eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. I struggled to keep my eyes open, until I eventually I had to give in...


	4. The Only Survivor?

CHAPTER 4: The Only Survivor?

"I hope she's alright."

"Don't worry, Tuff. She'll be better before we know it."

"Poyo poyo..."

"Hey, she moved!"

"Sh! I think she's waking up!"

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Tiff, Tuff and Kirby were looming above me. My whereabouts were unfamiliar, though I appeared to be in some kind of hospital, lying in a bed. I had a splitting headache. Feeling my forehead, I found I had bandages wrapped around my head.

"Hey, guys... what happened...?"

"You got attacked by a monster!" Tuff cried.

"Probably one of King Dedede's monsters," Tiff added angrily.

I suddenly remembered.

"Where's Escargoon?"

Tiff and Tuff pointed to my left. I turned my head even though it hurt horribly. There he was, lying on his side in a bed next to mine, covered in bandages. His chest was covered by the bed sheets so I couldn't see if he was still bleeding. He hadn't woken up yet.

Maybe he wasn't going to. I felt my eyes filling with tears.

"The monster hasn't been found yet," Tiff told me. "It could be anywhere. If we don't catch it soon, who knows who it's next victim will be."

"King Dedede's gone too far this time!" Tuff yelled. "Erika and Escargoon could have been killed!"

Kirby was watching me. "Poyo poyo?"

"Huh?" Tiff looked at me again. "Are you OK, Erika?"

"Does your head hurt real bad?"

Of course it hurt; it was the most horrible pain I had ever felt. But that wasn't why I had tears pouring down my cheeks. If Escargoon and I hate each other, then why did I feel so... guilty?

"So you've woken up, Erika?" said another voice. Looking up, I noticed a doctor had come into the room. He walked over and stood beside me. "Run along, you three," said the doctor to Tiff, Tuff and Kirby. "I need to examine Erika now."

"See you later, Erika," said Tuff.

"We'll come back and visit later," Tiff promised.

"Poyo poyo!" said Kirby.

My three friends left. I was left alone with the doctor whose name I didn't even know. He began slowly unwrapping the bandages around my head.

"You're very lucky, Erika," said the doctor. "If you were bitten any deeper it's very likely you would have been killed."

"Wow," I whispered. Then I felt another stab of guilt. Was I going to be the only survivor of this catastrophe? I looked to my left again.

The doctor tutted. "Don't move your head, young lady."

"Sorry, Doctor... er..."

"Yabui."

"Yeah. Sorry, Doctor Yabui."

He grabbed a cloth and a bottle of liquid stuff. Then he put some of the liquid stuff on the cloth and started rubbing it around the wounds on my head. It stung horribly but I tried not to make a fuss.

"This will help your wounds to heal," Doctor Yabui explained. When he had finished, he wrapped some new bandages around my head like a Christmas present. "How do you feel, Erika?"

Physically or emotionally? I felt pretty terrible in both catagories.

"I feel fine, thank you," was the reply I gave.

Doctor Yabui then approached Escargoon. He threw back the bed sheets. I could see Escargoon's chest clearly now. It was coated with bandages, mostly stained red from the blood. I gasped, but not loud enough for Doctor Yabui to hear. The doctor began unwrapping the bandages. I covered my eyes. I didn't want to see.

But I DID want to ask. "Is Escargoon alright, doctor?"

There was a long, horrible silence. I heard Doctor Yabui sigh. "His injuries are far worse than yours, Erika."

"Is he dead?"

"No, he's still alive."

I wanted to ask more, but just then I heard someone burst into the room. I uncovered my eyes. It was King Dedede.

"Erika! Escargoon! There you are!" He didn't sound very concerned for us. He said it as if to say 'Get your lazy butts back to the castle now!'.

"Hi, Sire," I greeted as cheerfully as I could. Which wasn't very cheerful, though I couldn't help feeling proud that the king had said my name first.

But then I felt horrible again. It was all thanks to the rivalry Escargoon and I had that we ended up in this mess. I suddenly burst into tears, startling both Doctor Yabui and King Dedede.

"What you crying for?" the king questioned.

"There's no need to cry, Erika. Everything's going to be alright," Doctor Yabui assured me, covering Escargoon with the bed sheets again. He then left the room.

"It's all my fault!" I wailed. "There's a monster roaming Cappy Town! Escargoon is probably gonna die! And it's all my fault!"

"What monster?" said King Dedede, puzzled. "I ain't ordered no monsters."

"I did!" I confessed. I took a deep breath, all too aware of how His Majesty would react. But I had to tell him. "I sneaked into your throne room last night, Your Majesty. I ordered a monster from NME. But it all went wrong. I'm... I'm really sorry."

There was a pause. Then, surprisingly, the king started laughing.

"I get it! You wanted to get rid of Kirby yourself and take all the glory!"

"No, I-" I stopped. Should I tell King Dedede the real reason? ...Nah. I hung my head and tried to look as meek as possible. "Yes, Sire. I wanted to get rid of Kirby myself."

I looked up again to see something big and wooden flying at me. Dedede's mallet hit me on the head like a ton of bricks. I felt sick and dizzy.

"That's for sneaking into my throne room!" the king scolded.

I waited for a pleased chuckle. It didn't happen. Dedede saw me looking to my left, and he looked too. He raised his mallet again, this time to hit Escargoon.

"This oughta wake him up!"

"No! Your Highness, you can't! You'll kill him!" I screeched.

The ruthless penguin took no notice. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't watch.  
WHAM!

As soon as the terrible blow had been delivered, I leapt of of my bed and rushed to Escargoon's bedside. I put my ear close to his mouth and listened carefully.

Nothing. I began to panic, but then I felt something warm on my face and I knew it was his breath.

"Thank goodness," I whispered, giving a sigh of relief. Then I felt someone grab my arm. It was the king. He began to drag me away.

"You're coming back to the castle with me."

"B-But Doctor Yabui said I need to stay here and rest!"

"Never mind what he says. I'm the king and you'll do what _I_ say."

I knew there was no point protesting further. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Doctor Yabui didn't notice us leaving. Dedede's limousine was waiting for us outside. The king climbed into the passenger seat.

"Hey, hold on a minute! You're not expecting ME to drive this thing, are you?" I cried.

"Of course you're driving!" His Majesty responded.

"B-But I can't! I don't know how to drive!"

"Neither can I, but someone's gotta do it. Get driving."

Reluctantly, I got into the driver's seat of the car. Then I suddenly realised something.

"Hold on a minute!" I repeated. "If you can't drive, how did you get here?"

"With difficulty. Now DRIVE!"

I decided to give it go. I mean, if Dedede could do it then how hard could it be? I turned the keys and the vehicle whirred into life. Then very slowly, I gently pressed my foot on the accelerator. The car began to trundle along the path home.

...Sudden thought. If Escargoon doesn't even have feet, how the heck does HE drive?

King Dedede was right when he said he drove with difficulty. On the way back to the castle we passed more than a few fallen trees that I'm sure were alright before...


	5. Guilt Trip

CHAPTER 5: Guilt Trip

It was dinner time. King Dedede guzzled his food like a vacuum cleaner. I stared at my plate and didn't eat a thing. I wasn't hungry.

"You gonna eat that?" asked the king. I shook my head and pushed my full plate across the table towards him. He grabbed it and began shovelling with delight. I didn't eat any dessert either, even though it was my favourite, chocolate ice cream sundae. King Dedede polished that off for me too. "How come you're so miserable, Erika?"

I looked up. Did he really have no clue? Still, I was glad he asked. I wanted to talk to someone, even if the king wasn't the ideal someone.

"I'm worried about Escargoon, Sire," I confessed. "Do you think he'll ever wake up?"

"Course he'll wake up." I don't think he was really listening, he was too busy eating, but hearing this made me feel a little better.

"That monster is still in Cappy Town somewhere," I continued. "We have to catch it before someone else gets hurt."

"That's your problem."

"H-Huh?!"

"You ordered that monster. You capture it."

"By myself?!"

"You can take a couple Waddle Dees with you."

I was going to need more than a couple of Waddle Dees to catch a killer monster. I lay awake all night thinking about it.

-x-

The next morning I decided to visit Tiff and Tuff. Kirby was there too. He greeted me with a happy 'poyo'.

"Morning, Kirby." I patted him on the head and sighed. Kirby was always so cheerful. Any other day this would have cheered me up, but I was feeling so miserable it was like a grey rain cloud was following me everywhere, drenching me in guilt.

Tiff noticed this. "Is something wrong, Erika?"

I sighed again. "You know that monster that nearly killed me yesterday?"

"What about it?" Tuff asked.

"King Dedede's expecting me to capture it." I began to panic at the thought. "I can't capture it! What if it beats me up again? What if it really does kill me?!"

"Don't worry, Erika. We'll do everything we can to help," said Tiff.

"We'd better get it fast, before it starts hurting people," added Tuff.

"Poyo poyo!" Kirby cheered.

They were all giving me a warm hearted smile. I felt my eyes fill with tears. I didn't deserve their kindness.

"Erika?" Tiff whispered. "Are you OK?"

"Tiff... maybe I should tell you something..."

"What is it?"

"It's about the monster."

"Dedede's monster?"

"I-It's not-"

I was interrupted by Tiff and Tuff's father bursting into the room, making me jump.

"Ah, you must be Erika!" he said to me. "Tiff and Tuff were telling me all about you yesterday."

"H-Hi," I squeaked.

"My name is Sir Ebrum. It's a pleasure to make your aquaintance, Erika."

I stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

"Dad, I think you're scaring her," said Tuff.

"No he's not," I said quickly. "Nice to meet you too, Sir Ebrum."

"Are you all going out to play?"

"We're hunting a monster," said Tuff, punching an imaginary Cream Puff. "We'll catch it and save Cappy Town, then we'll be heroes!"

So us three heroes set off to Cappy Town to begin our hunt. We searched high and low, near and far, in bushes and trees, behind buildings and in alleyways. By noon we had found nothing except a chocolate bar wrapper, three bottle tops, and a headache.

"This is hopeless," Tuff grumbled, hurling a bottle top at the ground in frustation. It bounced away and into a bush. "What now?"

"We could ask Chief Bookem," Tiff suggested. "Maybe he's seen Cream Puff."

"Yeah," I agreed, "let's do that."

We headed to the police station and asked Chief Bookem if he'd seen a floating fluffy monster.

"A monster?" the Chief repeated. "Is the king up to his old tricks again?"

"Er, not quite." I rubbed the back of my head guiltily. "Have you seen it?"

"Can't say I have. Sorry, kids. I'll keep a close eye out for it though. Could you describe it for me?" He opened a notepad and took a pencil out of his pocket.

"It's round and fluffy. Cream coloured with big eyes. It's about the size of someone's head."

Chief Bookem nodded and jotted down my descripton. Then he closed the notepad with a snap. "I'll warn the rest of Cappy Town straight away. You kids tell me if you see it again."

"Sure thing, Chief," said Tuff. With that, the four of us made our way back to the castle, giving up on our search.

"I hope someone finds the monster soon," said Tiff worriedly. "It could only be a matter of time before someone gets hurt."

"Or worse," Tuff added.

"Oh, that reminds me," I said. "I have to... er... I've got a few errands to run for the king in Cappy Town. You three go back without me."

"Do you want any help?" asked Tiff.

"No thanks." I began to run back towards town, calling: "I'll see you guys later, OK?"

I ran as quickly as I could to the hospital. The errand I had to run was non-existant; I was actually going to check on Escargoon. As much as I had told myself throughout the day not to, I couldn't stand waiting anymore. I had to see if he was recovering alright.

I burst through the door of the hospital and ran straight to the room where Escargoon was. Well, was supposed to be. When I finally arrived... he was gone.

I shook my head in disbelief. I kept telling myself this couldn't be happening. Was he really... gone?

I crept to his bedside and stared, as if I could conjure him out of thin air. But he didn't come back. Escargoon was dead.

I dropped to my knees, buried my head in his pillow and began to cry.

"Erika!" Doctor Yabui came into the room. "Whatever are you crying for?"

"I've killed him!" I sobbed. "He's dead! Escargoon's dead!"

The doctor laughed. "I don't think he's dead."

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Huh?"

"When I came to check on him this morning, he had disappeared."

"Y-You mean he's recovered? And he went home?"

"I think so, yes."

Upon hearing this, I pushed past Doctor Yabui and ran as fast as my little feet would carry me, out of the building and all the way back to the castle. I didn't stop. I didn't rest. I just kept on running, my feet pounding against the ground so hard it practically echoed. I was getting tired, but I still wouldn't stop. I wasn't going to slow down. I had to speed up. My chest was tight, my breathing was raspy, my feet ached, but I had to keep running-

CRASH!

All of a sudden I went flying backwards and hit the ground with a bump. I closed my eyes and began to breathe heavily. I was exhausted. I heard groaning, then someone getting up and approaching me. Oops. I must've ran into them.

"Watch where you're going, kid!"

I gasped. I knew that voice. 


	6. The Poyo Posse

CHAPTER 6: The Poyo Posse

My eyes flicked open. A familiar snail loomed above me. He was alright after all. I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"E-Escargoon..." Leaping to my feet, I wrapped my arms around him and began to cry again. "Escargoon! I'm so glad you're alright! I thought you were going to die!"

Escargoon struggled and squirmed out of my grasp. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"H-Hugging you...?"

"Have you forgotten something? We hate each other!"

And no wonder. I'd forgotten how much of a mean old creep he was.

"I'm just trying to say I'm sorry!"

Escargoon smirked. "You should be. That little vampire of yours ripped me to shreds!"

I looked at his chest and shuddered. The wound had mostly healed, but it was still very red.

"Sorry about that. Cream Puff got me too-"

"Good, you deserved it!"

"-but now its roaming Cappy Town. Nobody knows where it is. Everybody is in danger."

Escargoon's eyes widened. "Does King Dedede know?"

"Yeah, but he's not doing much about it. He's expecting me to capture it, but how can I when I don't have a clue where to start looking?" It wasn't actually the looking I was worried about; it was the capturing. Cream Puff could easily attack me again. "Look, I know we're not exactly the best of friends but do you think we could put our differences aside while we look for Cream Puff?"

"We?"

I sighed and mumbled monotonously, "Will you help me capture Cream Puff?"

Escargoon's eyes glimmered. "Why?"

"Because I need as much help as I can get. I'm going to ask Tiff and Tuff and Kirby too."

"And?"

I knew what he was waiting for. I folded my arms and turned away. "I'm not saying it."

"I thought you wanted my help."

"Of course I do."

"Then say it."

I hesitated. "I... I can't do it without you."

Escargoon laughed triumphantly. "Alright, I'll help you."

I asked Tiff, Tuff and Kirby when we got back to the castle. They agreed to help too, but Tuff complained when I told him Escargoon was coming with us. Tiff didn't say anything but the look on her face was enough.

"Look, guys, I'm not exactly thrilled about working together with Escargoon either, but can we please just get along, just for now?" I pleaded. Tiff and Tuff reluctantly agreed.

"I think we need a name," said Tuff.

"What about Puffbusters?" Tiff suggested. "The Cappy Town Crew?"

"The Dream Land Team," said Escargoon.

"Poyo!"

"Yeah!" I laughed. "'Poyo' is a great name!" I meant it as a joke but Tiff took me seriously.

"Yeah, great idea, Kirby! We'll call ourselves the Poyo Posse!"

We all agreed this was a great name. Well, most of us did.

"I still think my idea was the best," Escargoon mumbled.

So the five of us gathered a map and an old bird cage, and headed out.

"Where to first?" asked Tuff. "We've looked all over Cappy Town."

"I was thinking Whispy Woods," said Tiff. The rest of us immediately agreed. I couldn't believe we hadn't thought of that earlier...

-x-

It was a simple five minute walk to Whispy Woods. We were all completely silent the whole way, listening for any sounds that might be Cream Puff.

SNAP!

We all gasped and looked around frantically.

"Sorry," Tuff whispered. "I stepped on a twig."

"Try to be more careful, Tuff," Tiff hissed. "Cream Puff could have heard-" She stopped. "Get down!" Tiff threw herself on the ground behind some bushes. The rest of us, although puzzled, did the same.

"What is it, Tiff?" I whispered.

Tiff pointed through the bushes. I had to squint to see past the twigs and leaves, but I could just about make out a fluffy cream-coloured ball floating past. I gasped. Tuff shushed me. We all held our breath as Cream Puff wandered past us.

"Get ready to suck it up, Kirby," said Tiff.

"No, he can't!" I cried. Quietly, of course. "If Kirby inhales it, it'll tear his insides to pieces. Kirby would be killed!"

Kirby gave a frightened 'poyo'.

"We gotta think of a plan," said Tuff.

"That would have been a smart thing to do BEFORE we came out here," Escargoon muttered.

"We don't have much choice," I replied.

"Erika," said Tiff, "how does Cream Puff attack?"

"It bites a lot. It's got these really sharp fangs."

"Is that all?"

"It'll do whatever its master tells it to." I paused. "Wait a minute. I'M its master!"

"WHAT?!" Tiff and Tuff cried in unison.

"Look, I know this is a bad time to be telling you, but Cream Puff is MY monster, not Dedede's."

"How could you do such a thing?!" Tiff hissed.

"I... I wanted revenge. But it backfired."

"Revenge on Kirby?" Tuff asked.

"Poyo poyo?"

"No, no, of course not Kirby. It was Escargoon."  
"So that's how you both ended up in hospital," said Tuff. I nodded. Escargoon shuddered at the memory.

"If you're its master, that makes things a whole lot easier," said Tiff.

"Well, not exactly," I corrected. "Cream Puff doesn't always do as I say. THAT's how we ended up in hospital."

Tuff groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Do you think we should have brought Meta Knight with us?"

"Probably," I agreed, "but it's too late for that now."

"Is Cream Puff still there?" asked Escargoon.

Tiff peered over the bushes. "Yeah."

"OK, who's got the cage?"

We all looked at one other.

"Tuff, I thought you said you brought it with you!" Tiff moaned. "Now we'll have to go back to the castle."

"But we can't let Cream Puff out of our sight," I pointed out.

"You'll have to stay behind," said Tiff. "The rest of us will go back for the cage."

"No way! I'm not staying by myself!" I protested. "Can't one of you stay with me?"

"Not me!" said Tuff.

"I can't stay either," said Tiff. "I don't trust Tuff. I'm going back to keep an eye on him."

"Poyo poyo." Kirby hid behind Tiff.

There was silence. Then, surprisingly, someone agreed to stay. The someone I didn't really want to be left alone with.

"I'll stay with her." Escargoon placed a hand on my shoulder. "You kids go and get the cage."

"Thanks," said Tiff, and she skipped off with Tuff and Kirby closely following.

Escargoon and I were alone.

"Get your grubby hand off me."

"Don't I get a 'thank you'? I could have left you here by yourself!"

"I'd rather be by myself than with you."

"I can still catch up with the others, you know!"

"Go on, then. I'm not stopping you."

Just then we heard a growling noise. We both froze.

"Please tell me that was your stomach," I whispered.

Slowly, hardly daring to even breathe, the two of us turned around. A terrible sight met our eyes. Cream Puff had found us. 


	7. Venom Monsters

CHAPTER 7: Venom Monsters

We just stood there, staring, not daring to move. Cream Puff floated in front of us, gazing with its cute little eyes. It was almost hypnotic.

"Master."

"Y-Yes, Cream Puff?"

Cream Puff did a happy sort of dance. "Master."

"Come here, Cream Puff."

Cream Puff floated closer. Escargoon took a few steps backwards. I held out my hand and my monster landed.

"Good Cream Puff," I whispered. It purred. I turned to Escargoon. "It's alright, Escargoon. I've got it under control. It won't hurt us."

"I'm not going anywhere near that beast."

"Fine. Suit yourself."

Thankfully, Cream Puff sat calmly in my palm until Tiff, Tuff and Kirby returned with an old bird cage. Tiff gasped when she saw the monster in my hand.

"Erika, be careful!"

"It's OK, Tiff. I'm its master. It won't hurt us."

"Master," said Cream Puff.

Tuff approached us slowly, holding the open cage in front of him when he reached us. I tried to place Cream Puff inside, but it floated away and over to Tiff.

"Don't worry, Cream Puff," Tiff whispered. "We won't hurt you. Be a good little monster and get in the cage."

Cream Puff refused, and to show it, the 'good little monster' bit Tiff on the arm. She squealed.

"Tiff!" I cried, running towards her.

Tuff dropped the cage and rushed to his sister's side. "Are you OK, sis?"

"Poyo?"

Tiff didn't respond. I looked at the bite mark; it was deep indigo, almost black. Her eyes were turning blood red. She opened her mouth and two long fangs suddenly shot out. As she began to growl, we all screamed and leapt backwards.

"What's happening to her?" Tuff wailed, his voice shaky with fear.

"WHY is this happening?!" I cried. "This didn't happen when it bit me and Escargoon!"

"Poyo poyo!" Kirby pointed to Cream Puff. It's fangs were showing, They were tipped with some kind of purple venom. It suddenly flew at us, fangs bared, but Tuff quickly grabbed the cage and held it up. Cream Puff crashed straight inside the cage. Tuff took out a padlock and clipped it onto the cage. The deadly monster snarled and hissed and thrashed around wildly, determined to escape.

"Take it back to the castle," Escargoon ordered. "Get a knife from the kitchen. You know what to do next. And be quick about it!"

Tuff didn't need to be asked twice. He rushed off as fast as his feet would carry him before Cream Puff got any worse. As for Tiff, she was advancing towards Kirby.

"Poyo! Poyo poyo!" Kirby yelled. Tiff stopped for a second and began to shake her head as if she were in pain.

"She heard Kirby. I think she's trying to fight off the venom effects," I said. "Come on, Tiff! You can do it!"

My encouragement had no effect. After a few moments, Tiff stopped shaking. She leapt at Kirby and sank her teeth into his head. Kirby screeched.

"POYOOOO!"

His eyes faded to red. Two little fangs emerged from his mouth. He was a venom monster now. I screamed. I had no idea cute little Kirby could look so deadly.

"Run, Erika!" Escargoon tried to escape but I grabbed him by the tail.

"We can't just leave them here!"

"Why not?!"

"We have to stop them from reaching Cappy Town!"

"For how long?!"

"I bet that the effects will wear off as soon as Tuff kills Cream Puff."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Oh, I don't know. It always happens in movies."

"This ain't a movie, kid!"

"It's worth a try! Or are you too scared?"

Escargoon hesitated. Kirby and Tiff were getting closer every second.

"Alright," he said eventually. "I'll help you."

-x-

Meanwhile, Tuff had just arrived at the castle. He tried to go into the kitchen but was stopped by Waddle Doo.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to get a knife."

"You're not allowed in the king's kitchen."

"Escargoon said I could."

"Where's your proof?"

Tuff held up the cage containing the snarling Cream Puff. "I have to kill this monster to save my sister! Now let me in!"

Tuff pushed past Waddle Doo and began opening all the drawers, frantically searching for a knife. Eventually, he found a really big, sharp one. Perfect.

Tuff held up the knife to Cream Puff and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Cream Puff, but I gotta do this."

-x-

Somehow, Escargoon and I had managed to get ourselves into a pretty bad mess. We were standing on the edge of a cliff outside Whispy Woods, and Kirby and Tiff were only getting closer.

"I told you we should have gone left," I complained, "but no, you had to insist we go right."

"Oh, be quiet, before I push you down the cliff."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You wanna bet?"

I hesitated. "Y-Yeah. I dare you."

I didn't think he would, but I freaked out when he grabbed me by the shoulders. I didn't show it though. I tried to keep a cool composure as Escargoon prepared to throw me off the edge. And if he dared to try, he was coming with me.

It didn't happen. Escargoon suddenly let out a yelp and squeezed his eyes shut, as if he were in pain. I looked past him, fearing the worst. Kirby has his teeth deep in Escargoon's tail. There was no escaping now. I knew that as soon as Escargoon turned into one of them I was going to get bitten too. He still had hold of my shoulders. There was only one way to escape and that was to jump down the cliff. I wasn't brave enough to do that. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and awaited my fate.

And waited.

And waited and waited.

"...Erika?"

I gasped and flicked my eyes open. "Escargoon? What's going on? You didn't get turned into a monster."

Just then we heard groaning from behind us. Tiff and Kirby were sitting on the grass, rubbing their sore heads. They had returned to normal.

"Kirby?" said Tiff, helping him up. "Are you OK?"

"Poyo."

"Tiff?" I called.

"Erika! Escargoon, what are you doing to her?!"

"She wanted me to throw her off the cliff!"

"I did not!" I yelled, shaking his hands off me.

"You did too!"

"I did NOT!"

Tiff sighed. "Please don't start arguing again."

"Oh, Tiff!" I suddenly realised something. "If you and Kirby are back to normal, Tuff must've killed Cream Puff!"

"Back to normal? What are you talking about? Where IS Tuff, anyway?"

"He caught Cream Puff and took it to the castle to kill it."

"And just in time," Escargoon added. "I almost got turned into a Cream Puff vampire too. I could feel my teeth growing." He poked one of his teeth. They didn't seem any pointier.

"Hey, guys!"

We all turned around. Tuff had found us!

"Tuff!"

"Hi, sis! Are you OK?"

"Of course. Why?"

"You got turned into a monster!"

"A monster?! How?"

"Cream Puff bit you."

"Then you bit Kirby," I continued.

"And Kirby bit me," Escargoon finished.

"You saved us, Tuff!" I cheered.

Tuff was silent for a few seconds to let this sink in. Then he leapt up and down and yelled, "Yeah! I did save you, didn't I! I'm a hero! Three cheers for me!"

We cheered. More than three times, and not just for Tuff; we all cheered for one another. Well, Kirby went 'poyo poyo poyo', but we knew what he meant. And with that, the Poyo Posse headed back to the castle, laughing and chatting like we were all best friends. 


	8. Happily Ever After?

CHAPTER 8: Happily Ever After...?

It was dinner time. I could finally eat again now that I wasn't guilt ridden anymore. It was delicious; I savoured every mouthful.

"So, Erika. You got rid of Cream Puff?" asked King Dedede.

"Yes, Sire. Well, I had some help. You see, we formed this group called the..." My voice tailed away when I saw the expression on the king's face. He didn't look very happy.

"And you ordered that monster?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty..."

King Dedede suddenly exploded. "Do you have any idea how much that Cream Puff monster cost me?!"

"N-No, Sire! Sorry, Sire!"

"What's the big deal, anyway?" said Escargoon, calmly eating. "You never pay for those monsters. I doubt you paid for Cream Puff either."

The king didn't say anything. He knew that Escargoon was right, and this infuriated him even more. I noticed him reaching under the table for something. Something big and wooden. Escargoon and I dropped our knives and forks and made a dash for the door, but Dedede chased after us, catching up rapidly.

"Get him, not me!"

"No, get Erika! She was the one who ordered the monster!"

WHAM! WHAM!

The two of us went sprawling across the corridor. King Dedede gave a satisfied nod and marched back to the dining room. For a few seconds, we lay there in silence. I looked at Escargoon. He looked at me. For a few seconds we were gazing sadly into each others' eyes, feeling sorry for each other. Maybe we were forgiving one another for everything we'd done. Maybe we were going to put an end to our ridiculous rivalry and be friends from now on.

But then again, maybe not.

"Why did you have to say that to him?" I hissed.

"Why did YOU have to order a monster?"

"Because I was sick of you getting me into trouble with the king!"

"I'm sick of you, full stop!"

"You know what? I wish Cream Puff really had killed you!"

"At least I wouldn't have to put up with your whining!" he retorted. "And let's face it, if I did die you'd feel so guilty your life would be a misery."

"What makes you think that?"

"Oh Escargoon, I'm so glad you're alright!" said Escargoon in a high pitched imitation of my voice. "I thought you were going to die!" Hmm... voice imitations... that reminded me of something...

"Hey, King Dedede!" I shouted across the corridor in Escargoon's voice. I grinned at him. He looked so freaked out that I laughed. "Why is your ass so big?"

Escargoon gasped. "You little...!"

I laughed again and leapt to my feet. I could hear the king's feet pounding across the dining room. "Better start running, slowcoach!"

The dining room door flew open and His Majesty emerged with his mallet. "Escargoon! You're in for it now!"

The snail screamed and ran away as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him, the king was faster. I also ran as quickly as my feet could carry me in an attempt to catch up with them. I wasn't going to miss this show for the world!

Isn't revenge sweet?

THE END 


End file.
